Two Hearts, One Soul: Let the Pendulum Drop

"Hey Kensei what do you mean unknown?" Mashiro whined. "Hey are you even listening to me Kensei? Come on Kensei?"

"Unknown means I don't know!" Kensei yelled back at her.

"If you don't know then why do I have to come?"

"Mashiro stop complaining about this." Kensei ordered her.

Mashiro stomped her foot on the ground, "But if you sent the Vanguard ahead of us and Neji with Squad 12, why don't we wait for a report from them?! You're a hot-head Kensei and a dummy!"

"Lieutenant please stop." Tosen tried to calm Mashiro down.

"I don't wanna, I don't wanna! Kensei's so stupid." Mashiro whined.

Kensei vein popped out as Mashiro continued to whine. He was about to hit her when he felt his squad members grab him.

"Better to let it go Captain." Kensei pulled out of their hold to find that Neji had joined them. "You know full well that she is always like this."

"Well did Squad 12 find anything?" He asked Neji ignoring Mashiro.

"Maybe, Kimiko did take back one of the kimonos back with them as they returned to the Seireitei." Neji informed his Captain.

"I'm so sick of this and I'm hungry! I want some Ohagi!" Mashiro stomped her foot again.

"We don't need you here, so why don't you go back and get some of that shit." Kensei told her.

"It's not shit and I have to follow you around I'm your Lieutenant, dummy!"

Neji grabbed Kensei's shoulder again, "Captain!"

"Wah! I want some Ohagi!" Mashiro was now rolling around on the ground. "Kensei send Kaname to go get me some Ohagi!"

"Captain, what should we do?" another Squad 9 member asked.

"Just leave her be, Kasaki." Kensei told him as he looked over towards Tosen and Neji.

"Ah!" Suddenly the sound of kids screaming filled the area.

"Neji!" Kensei yelled at his 4th seat.

"It's another modified Hollow, Captain." Neji said as he activated his Byakugan.

"It's huge! Is it a Menos?!" Todo asked.

The Hollow had the body of a spider, a long neck, and a mask like a lizard's face. Kensei pulled out his Zanpakuto as the kids ran passed them.

"Let's go." Kensei ordered his squad forward.

"Right."

Kensei stepped closer to the Hollow as the last kid fell right in front of him.

"Tosen, Kasaki, Todo, Eishima go for the Hollow's legs!" Neji ordered his fellow squad members.

"Right!" Tosen, Kasaki, Eishima, and Todo answered as they slashed at the Hollow's legs.

"Now, bring the world to its knees, Kuzuki!" Neji released his Zanpakuto as he jumped in front of the fallen Hollow's face.

The Hollow roared as Neji brought Kuzuki back to attack. It reached out and bit down on to Neji's right shoulder.

"Neji!" Tosen called out to his injured squad mate causing Kensei to look up from the kid.

"Fall back." Kensei ordered as he pointed his Zanpakuto towards the Hollow, "Send 'em Flying, Tachikaze!" Kensei released his Zanpakuto slicing the hollow's head off.

The Hollow's head fell to the ground as the rest of its body vanished. Tosen made his way to Neji as the head finally vanished. "Are you alright Neji?"

"Yeah, it might have been able to chomp down on me, but he couldn't do too much damage to me because of Kuzuki." Neji explained as he pulled off the rest of his torn sleeve.

"That's good. Is everyone else alright?" Kensei asked.

"Yes, Sir!" was the reply of the others.

Kensei turned toward the crying boy. "Hey what are you crying about?! You're alive aren't you? So smile!"

"Captain that smile is just going to scare the poor kid." Neji pointed out.

"Don't be ridiculous, Neji! Stand up!" Kensei pulled the boy up to his feet. "What's your name?"

"Shuhei Hisagi." The boy sniffled.

"Shuhei, huh. That's a good strong name. Now stop crying!" Kensei told him as he looked over at Neji. "Isn't that right Neji? Shuhei is a strong name!"

"Of course it is Captain." Neji smiled at the boy. "You should be glad you get to live to see another day, so stop crying and be strong."

"Okay." Shuhei said as he sniffled and wiped the last of his tears away taking a nice long look at Neji's right shoulder and Kensei's stomach.

"Oh by the way Neji, you lost your headband again." Kensei pointed to his forehead.

"Great give me a minute to find it. That damn hollow must have snagged its cloth when it attacked me." Neji muttered to himself as he looked around for his headband.

Kensei laughed, "You must be around me too much, your language is slipping Neji."

"Kensei!" Mashiro came running up to the group as Neji tied his headband back on his forehead.

"Where the hell were you during the battle?" Kensei asked her.

"Kensei! What battle?" Mashiro asked.

"Never mind, what is it Mashiro?"

"Look at what I found! I found this in the bushes over there!" She pointed behind her as she lifted up some clothing in her hand.

"A Shihakusho!" Eishima pointed out.

"Yeah and there were a few of them back there!" Mashiro pointed behind her again.

"How many were there exactly, Lieutenant?" Neji asked.

"Um ten Shihakusho I think." Mashiro pushed a finger into the corner of her mouth.

"Ten!" Kasaki and Todo echoed.

"Yep ten Shihakusho." Mashiro nodded her head.

"Captain?" Tosen and Neji looked at Kensei.

"What's going on here?" Kensei whispered trying to make some sense of this.

"Hey what's with you Kensei?" Mashiro looked at him. "Is there something special about ten Shihakusho?"

"Idiot…" Kensei started.

"That's the same number as the vanguard, Lieutenant Kuna." Tosen informed her.

"Uh-oh, that's not good." Mashiro commented as she pushed her cheek up with her hand.

"They're just like the kimonos we found." Neji pointed out.

"Eishima! Inform Central 46 that we have our first Soul Reaper victims in this soul disappearing case." Kensei ordered, "Todo send for one of those researcher from Squad twelve back out here! There must be some sort of a pathogen causing the souls to break down."

"Yes, Sir!" The two yelled as they rushed back to the Seireitei.

"Kasaki get us a tent out here!" Kensei continued giving orders.

"Yes, Sir!" Kasaki ran off as well.

"Captain?" Neji questioned.

"Whoever did this is most likely going after the Seireitei next." Kensei looked at Neji. "We are going to stay here and stop them before they reach the Seireitei."

"Of course Captain." Neji and Tosen nodded their heads as Kensei turned towards Shuhei.

"You should hurry home before the sun sets, Shuhei! Got it?!"

The boy nodded as he ran off taking one last look at Neji and Kensei's tattoos.

"Mashiro stay here and wait for Kasaki to return. Kaname, Neji you two are with me. We are going to search the area."

"Yes, Captain." Neji and Tosen followed Kensei.

"Kensei you dummy! I have to go with you! I'm your Lieutenant!" Mashiro yelled as they left her, "Oh that's just like him. Leave me here and take Neji-kun and Kaname with him." She huffed as she sat down to wait for Kasaki.